All things books, all the time

JetBlue and Random House Partnering up to Give Away 100k Books

Yep, you read that right. When I first heard the news I thought the two companies were an odd match for something like this. But I soon realized that book programs don’t have to be limited to non-profits or bookstores or libraries. Any company can come up something. And then I also realized that JetBlue has been involved with getting books into the hands of children for years with their Soar With Reading Program.

But this year they’re changing it up a bit. They’re adding a #BookBattle to the mix. The battle is between five cities and the public is asked to vote online to decide which of the five cities should be given 100k books for children in need. I think that’s pretty great. The five cities are New York City, Detroit, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, and Houston. I don’t know how long the voting period will be open, but I do know it’s open right now. So if you don’t live in any of the five cities, then the choice you should make when considering which city to vote for is obvious, right? Houston! Duhh. Bring those books here! Please.

Cruz was born in Canada. Not our finest export.
One of our dearest friends, Bert Almon, is Texan. He moved to Canada when he was a young man. He is a retired professor and a very accomplished poet. One of his books was titled “Texas Calling.”

I disagree with this completely. Completely. They’re doing something great, something that other companies aren’t doing and you’re being critical. This is like me saying I’m volunteering at my local food bank and someone asking how come I’m not volunteering at another food bank too.

I’m not critical, John – I think it’s an amazing thing for them to do. A lot of kids will derive huge benefit from it. I just feel sorry for the kids that’ll miss out -don’t you think it’s a shame for them? Of course, in an ideal world, all kids would get brilliant access to books 🙂